Use Your Brain

This morning I had the frustrating experience of asking a new pharmacist a question about my asthma medication. Let me explain, in the last few years I have definately been spoiled, our pharmacy was run by a couple who were as friendly as they were efficient. They new almost all customers by first name, they could correctly recite all your medications without consulting the computer and they could quickly answer questions about any current medications. Fast forward to today when I asked a fairly simple question about dosage on my asthma medication and the young summer replacement pharmacist immediately assumed the position behind the computer asked illogical questions like, "you are only going to take it when you need it right?" and the she finally pieced together an answer that did not answer my question and I could tell that she was clearly flustered, often checking the computer for confirmation of her thoughts. I did not feel confident that she really new anything about my medication although I know that the education for a Pharmacist is extensive so I do not question her training, I just don't think that she relies on her brain enough. This brings me to my point, I'm sure my previous Pharmacists relied only on their brains as they graduated prior to the daily use of computer technology. In Marc Prensky's article he says that we are teaching a backup education, but isn't it important that we do backup our learning into the only computer that we truly have with us at all times. Our brains. After all brain research indicates that if we do not continue to fire the synapses of new learning the information will not make it into our long term memory. So yes, we can look up the algorhthym to division but why would we not want that information in our long-term memory, brain capacity is huge so we are not in danger of overloading our brains, but let's not underload them. If the information is truly unnecessary the brain has developed a system to prune unused information at least 3-4 times in a lifetime. I know that my young Pharmacist has time to review asthma inhalers and my hope is that she will fire up the synapses in order to commit the info to her long term memory because it would be so valuable for not only her customers but also her own career.


Sonia